I wanted to take some time to honour Gina’s grief, in the loss of her son.

2017 has been a hard year, for a lot of people…a year of loss and endings and grief, and I marvel at the beautiful words Gina has written, I needed them too. Thank you, kind friend. You are a talented, and lovely, shining presence in the WordPress world. So many hearts are with you! I hope you do find some comfort in the ones sitting with you, when our words can never be enough.

I heard tonight from a good friend that one of their other friends (who I haven’t met) took their own life.

I tried to write something for anyone in that heart wrenching situation of debilitating loneliness, but the words didn’t come. Then I remembered this lovely piece of music by Enya’s sister from years ago. It holds no religious significance to me, I just love the beauty of it.

I had lunch recently at the Organic Cafe in Stirling with my dear friend Melissa, for my birthday.

One of the women in critical condition from the London terrorist attack works in this cafe, I found out today (I don’t know her personally). I have been going there for years. It’s an institution now in the Adelaide hills.

Of course, there’s so much we could all say, and debate and whatever. But I just wanted to listen to this. So I thought I would share it.

I love this piece of music. I bought it on cassette years ago, it moved my young heart so deeply. The cries from an anguished heart, that is something we can all relate to.

(I am not Catholic, but if you are interested, here is the context, and these are the words, in Polish of course:

“Movement 2 – Lento e largo – tranquillissimo
The second movement is based on a message found scrawled on a Gestapo prison cell wall in 1944 by an 18 year old girl Helena Wanda Blazusiakówna:
No, Mother, do not weep,
Most chaste Queen of Heaven
Help me always.
Hail Mary.
It is heralded by a radiant set of chords that has made the whole work famous, but then quickly darkens. Again, the theme is motherhood, but this time, the child calls out to the mother, both actual and spiritual.”

reminded me of this wonderful song, by one of the most remarkable poets, imho.

Nick Cave lost one of his teenage sons over a year ago. It was tragic, he fell from a cliff. I wondered at the time if something as catastrophically devastating as that would paralyse his art creating. But of course, I was wrong. We are talking about Nick Cave, after all…

I have been fortunate to have seen Nick Cave a couple of times in concert. This rather blurry photo is of a concert photo given to me by my photographer friend, Ken Binns.

I didn’t even realise until my grandfather’s funeral. The first funeral of someone close to me. That so much of the time we just aren’t paying attention.

So we watched him being lowered into the ground.
It’s overwhelming isn’t it? That kind of grief.
And now you are hearing and seeing things you never heard before.
Right when you think the world should stop.

Now thanks to this artist I love, releasing this album at this time because of the loss of his child, I time travelled right back to that graveside. And all the other gravesides.

I have been to many funerals. My husband is a pastor. I have had the indescribable privilege of being at a few death beds. There is so much that I could write about. But there are already many words. And this trailer expresses some of it just perfectly.